[ Noctis doesn't budge from the doorway, giving him the space that he needs, not interfering because he knows Ignis has this under control. He's always been a proud man, his Ignis, and even in this iteration that streak hasn't changed. There's so much of the old him still inside, enough that Noctis misses him so sorely -- and he notes the newspaper clippings but can't quite be close enough to make it out.
He doesn't argue with him, but he refrains from reaching out to him, or to take his bags from him -- he imagines Ignis will consider it a slight. The thing is, Ignis agreed to come home with him, back to the Citadel (would he be proud of him, he wonders), and maybe one day they'll find a way to restore his sight. He already has a few ideas, all of them involving the use of the crystal, but he has to run through it with the medical team first.
The drive back to the Citadel is silent. Noctis is at the wheel, a smoother driver than he's previously been (it's been awhile, after all), and he thinks that Ignis would probably say something or other to that effect. At least, the other him would have, and he tries not to think about that, either. This Ignis is here, no less loved even if it takes all of Noctis' self-control to blurt out everything that they were to each other to him. No, he has to discover that for himself, or he'll be overwhelmed. Or worse, he'll run away.
The reunion is a quiet but bittersweet affair -- Noctis knows Gladio and Prompto are both happy and reiieved to see him back; but even they know that the man that returns isn't the man that they remember. This Ignis is older, lonelier, still fighting to recover; but the point is this: he's home. All else can come later.
Noctis is as good as his word. He introduces Ignis to the medical team specially commissioned to treat his current condition, and shows him back to his quarters, specially restored, a lot of its furnishings personally tended to by Noctis, who wanted it to be as close as what it originally was. It's awkward, at first; loaded and tense, but as the weeks pass, things get better.
Noctis learns to keep his distance, to be close enough on hand to pick up on what Ignis needs, but distant enough not to smother him. He keeps his own feelings to himself, forces his own emotions into a box -- it's not what Ignis needs right now. What he needs is to take care of himself, to get better and get used to his home again. Things aren't perfect, but they aren't a mess, which... which helps.
One day, however, Prompto rushes over to him, red-faced and urgent, tells him just what he's seen. Newspaper clippings, a collection of them, all of the day Noctis had been coronated as the Chosen King, the Lightbringer, and a whole host of other names Noctis personally doesn't care for. Ignis, Noctis learns from Prompto, has been reading up voraciously on Noctis, and the knowledge of this makes his breath catch in his throat. What does he do with this, now that he knows that Ignis is scrabbling to rediscover what he was? Prompto seems to think that this is some groundbreaking moment that'll send Ignis pitching into his arms (perhaps he and Gladio have gotten tired of them skirting around each other for the past few months), and the young king is rooted on the spot, silently reeling.
Noctis does nothing about this, in the end. He would loathe to violate Ignis' privacy that way. A week later, the medical team has a breakthrough -- the Crystal's powers, if carefully applied, can restore his eyesight. They brief the king in detail, and Noctis immediately agrees to it. What's left is for Ignis to consent. There are risks, of course; there's always a chance that things won't go well, but eventually the operation is underway. It goes better than even the most optimistic projections, and today, today is the moment of truth.
Today, they turn up the lights after a few days of getting Ignis to adjust to dim settings. Today, Ignis meets Noctis again for the very first time.
Noctis is nervous when he finally steps past the curtain, older than he had been and clean-shaven, decked in full regalia because he hadn't had a chance to change out of it. Ignis' eyes are so green, so clear, even if the scars are still there, but the only thing on his mind is how he'd react -- if he would be disappointed, if Ignis had built an image of Noctis in his mind and the man that he is now, right now, does Noctis fall short? ]
Hey. [ He says at last. Monarch he might be, but apparently he's still inept at eloquent greetings. ] Does it... hurt anywhere?
no subject
He doesn't argue with him, but he refrains from reaching out to him, or to take his bags from him -- he imagines Ignis will consider it a slight. The thing is, Ignis agreed to come home with him, back to the Citadel (would he be proud of him, he wonders), and maybe one day they'll find a way to restore his sight. He already has a few ideas, all of them involving the use of the crystal, but he has to run through it with the medical team first.
The drive back to the Citadel is silent. Noctis is at the wheel, a smoother driver than he's previously been (it's been awhile, after all), and he thinks that Ignis would probably say something or other to that effect. At least, the other him would have, and he tries not to think about that, either. This Ignis is here, no less loved even if it takes all of Noctis' self-control to blurt out everything that they were to each other to him. No, he has to discover that for himself, or he'll be overwhelmed. Or worse, he'll run away.
The reunion is a quiet but bittersweet affair -- Noctis knows Gladio and Prompto are both happy and reiieved to see him back; but even they know that the man that returns isn't the man that they remember. This Ignis is older, lonelier, still fighting to recover; but the point is this: he's home. All else can come later.
Noctis is as good as his word. He introduces Ignis to the medical team specially commissioned to treat his current condition, and shows him back to his quarters, specially restored, a lot of its furnishings personally tended to by Noctis, who wanted it to be as close as what it originally was. It's awkward, at first; loaded and tense, but as the weeks pass, things get better.
Noctis learns to keep his distance, to be close enough on hand to pick up on what Ignis needs, but distant enough not to smother him. He keeps his own feelings to himself, forces his own emotions into a box -- it's not what Ignis needs right now. What he needs is to take care of himself, to get better and get used to his home again. Things aren't perfect, but they aren't a mess, which... which helps.
One day, however, Prompto rushes over to him, red-faced and urgent, tells him just what he's seen. Newspaper clippings, a collection of them, all of the day Noctis had been coronated as the Chosen King, the Lightbringer, and a whole host of other names Noctis personally doesn't care for. Ignis, Noctis learns from Prompto, has been reading up voraciously on Noctis, and the knowledge of this makes his breath catch in his throat. What does he do with this, now that he knows that Ignis is scrabbling to rediscover what he was? Prompto seems to think that this is some groundbreaking moment that'll send Ignis pitching into his arms (perhaps he and Gladio have gotten tired of them skirting around each other for the past few months), and the young king is rooted on the spot, silently reeling.
Noctis does nothing about this, in the end. He would loathe to violate Ignis' privacy that way. A week later, the medical team has a breakthrough -- the Crystal's powers, if carefully applied, can restore his eyesight. They brief the king in detail, and Noctis immediately agrees to it. What's left is for Ignis to consent. There are risks, of course; there's always a chance that things won't go well, but eventually the operation is underway. It goes better than even the most optimistic projections, and today, today is the moment of truth.
Today, they turn up the lights after a few days of getting Ignis to adjust to dim settings. Today, Ignis meets Noctis again for the very first time.
Noctis is nervous when he finally steps past the curtain, older than he had been and clean-shaven, decked in full regalia because he hadn't had a chance to change out of it. Ignis' eyes are so green, so clear, even if the scars are still there, but the only thing on his mind is how he'd react -- if he would be disappointed, if Ignis had built an image of Noctis in his mind and the man that he is now, right now, does Noctis fall short? ]
Hey. [ He says at last. Monarch he might be, but apparently he's still inept at eloquent greetings. ] Does it... hurt anywhere?